The parish priest for churches in the Huntly, Keith, Fochabers and Buckie areas launches lockdown book about his faith
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A PRIEST who serves parishes in Huntly, Fochabers, Keith and Buckie has just published a book about his faith to mark his fifth anniversary in the priesthood.
Fr. Peter Onyekachi Ezekoka (31) had the call to come to Scotland from Nigeria in 2018 - he had spent two years working in catholic schools but his vocation had prepared him to accept a call to wherever he was needed.
With Fr Kingsley Ikenna, he shares responsibility for St. Margaret’s Huntly, St. Thomas Keith, St. Mary’s Fochabers, St. Peter’s Buckie, St. Gregory’s Preshome and St. Ninians, Tynet.
Since his early 20s, Fr. Peter has dreamt of a day when a book would have his name on its front cover and lockdown last year became the catalyst. The achievement was celebrated at a book launch in St Margaret's in Huntly last month attended by parishioners from all the churches and further afield.
Proceeds from the sale of the book will help support educational projects in Nigeria.
Writing the 107 page book, "I will follow you, but" began in April 2019 when, Fr Peter was invited to facilitate a preached retreat at St. Mary’s Kinnoull.
He explained: "This book is a product of that retreat which turned out to be a profoundly spiritual and invigorating experience both for me and the participants.
"During lockdown when the thought came into me to start writing a book, I heard a voice within me say, start from Kinnoull - I knew that that was the right voice because the topic of our retreat was based on discipleship.
"My faith has been greatly influenced by my family - we prayed every morning and every evening. I was enrolled in a catholic primary school which helped to nurture my faith in God. All this plus my encounter with Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians helped to steer in me the desire to become a priest."
Aged nine, Fr Peter was admitted into the minor seminary which he took as a sign that the priesthood was for him.
He said: "My faith has shaped me into understanding life better, growing constantly in the awareness that God is always with us, and practising total abandonment to His will by living in divine providence. I live my life in such a way that I have nothing I can call my own.
"Faith for me is the acceptance that God is in charge of everything, and He does not abandon us.Our relationship with Him should be based on perfect contrition and acceptance of His will for us in loving Him who is our Creator and in loving one another as He loves us.
Fr Peter believes that his book is one of the positive things to come out of lockdown as without that he might never had the time nor the focus.
He said: "It took me about five months to write, even though some of its manuscripts were fruits of my reflection over the years. I kept it to myself because I was writing how my personal stories and experiences have shaped my understanding of discipleship. But I had friends who helped to correct the English before it was published.
"Lockdown brought changes in people's life and activities - the camera became our medium of evangelisation. One day as I sat down before my computer an idea came into my head, maybe you should begin writing the book you have always wanted to write. I told myself, an inspirational book about my experience of Christ and why we must keep on following him despite the ups and downs of life would be apt.
"Writing isn't easy - on one occasion I had an idea and when I rushed to my computer to type it my phone rang and that idea evaporated like the angels share in whisky. I spent more than 30 minutes trying to recall the idea and how best to present it, it came back, but in another form.
"I recall falling asleep on my desk one night as I struggled with how best to use the right terms to express my ideas, only for my alarm to wake me up on the following day. I typed the entire book myself - the process offered me great peace and joy.
"I chose the title to show that there will always be ‘buts’ - challenges and concerns whenever decisions to follow Christ are made. Discipleship is never a bed of roses, neither is it a state of bliss like the garden of Eden."
Fr Peter had the book published in Nigeria to make it easily accessible to priests, seminarians and Christians in his homeland.
It is on sale from Orbs Community Bookshop, by email to petre_eze@yahoo.com or searching the author's name on EBay.
